Happily devoured new "Arts and Minds," a history of the RSA. Its early model is a striking combo:
1. Leverage philanthropic/status motive: crowdsource a fund from nobles/"risers"
2. Leverage self-interest: offer prizes to inventors
3. Grant-making by direct democracy
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But… why did grant-making-by-vote work?
RSA was insistent that anyone could join—not just learned/nobles—if they paid into the fund. Why did this produce a member pool which made good funding decisions?
Not obvious that this would work! i.e. What if NSF used direct democracy?
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Have u finished it already?!
Risk of factions taking over through entryism was definitely real, as per the artists in Chapter 2. But some procedures helped reduce that.
I think the main discipline was from membership number. If things went badly wrong, subscribers pulled out.
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Yes, er, last weekend. :) I enjoyed seeing how factionism played out (surprised it wasn't more damaging). But—why was their activity competent in the first place, irrespective of faction? If you took a slice of equivalent wealth in modern Britain, would they vote for wise prizes?
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